Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
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February 18, 2026
The Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, est. 1938, is a partnership among the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania State University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute.
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Pennsylvania Unit's research emphasis is on integrating ecology and management of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, evaluating the effects of human activities on wildlife, fish, and their habitats, and providing guidelines for restoring and maintaining important terrestrial and aquatic communities.
Predictive layers of trace elements in soil in the conterminous United States Predictive layers of trace elements in soil in the conterminous United States
This dataset provides posterior mean predicted rasters of the distribution of trace elements important to vertebrate health (cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc) in the soil across the conterminous United States. Rasters were generated using a Bayesian modeling framework implemented in R with the R-INLA framework (Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation) and the...
Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey Observations Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey Observations
R code to analyze these data to estimate proportion of hens with poults and poults per brood, and estimate temporal trends in proportion of hens with poults is available at https://doi.org/10.5066/P14VYTVN. The state wildlife agencies in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia collected observations of wild turkeys during June-August, 2000-2023...
Data describing a predatory fish invasion on a riverine food web Data describing a predatory fish invasion on a riverine food web
Catfishes are opportunistic feeders that are among the world's worst invasive species. Flathead catfish *Pylodictus olivaris* -- a large predatory catfish -- were first detected in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, USA in 2002. Since then, they established a viable and rapidly growing population that is expanding its range throughout the river system. Although the predatory effects of...
Data for Distance sampling accounting for density gradient and animal distribution Data for Distance sampling accounting for density gradient and animal distribution
There are 9 datasets. one distance sampling dataset, 4 resource selection datasets, and 4 outputs from bootstrapped resource selection models the use the estimated correction factor. The 4 resource selection datasets have data that can be used in a binomial generalized linear mixed effect model to create the correction factor. The distance sampling data set is used to estimate density...
White-tailed deer from culling efforts in Minnesota White-tailed deer from culling efforts in Minnesota
Dataset containing information for white-tailed deer samples from Minnesota. Samples were genotyped for 11 microsatellites markers and sequenced for a fragment of approx. 546 bp belonging to the mitochondrial control region. Marker OvirQ should not be used as it presents alleles inconsistent with reported pattern, with some alleles separated by only 1 base pair and inconsistent between...
Microsatellite genotypes and metadata for white-tailed deer samples from the Mid-Atlantic region of USA Microsatellite genotypes and metadata for white-tailed deer samples from the Mid-Atlantic region of USA
Dataset containing information for white-tailed deer samples from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and New York, genotyped for 11 microsatellites markers. Marker OvirQ should not be used as it presents alleles inconsistent with reported pattern, with some alleles separated by only 1 base pair and inconsistent between runs. Projected coordinates representing sampling location are in...
Input for Habitat Risk Software Input for Habitat Risk Software
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that was first detected in captive cervids in Colorado, United States (US) in 1967, but has since spread into free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations across the US and Canada. In some areas, the disease is considered endemic in wild deer populations, and governmental wildlife agencies...
Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
This data release presents calculated accumulated wastewater (ACCWW, as a percent of total streamflow) values for 43 National Hydrologic Dataset Version 2.1 (NHDPlus V2.1) stream segments coinciding with long-term smallmouth bass sampling locations (Table 1) in the Shenandoah River Watershed (encompassing parts of Virginia and West Virginia, USA). Values are calculated for quarter-year...
Evaluation of DNA yield from various sources for use in single nucleotide polymorphism panels Evaluation of DNA yield from various sources for use in single nucleotide polymorphism panels
Genetics studies are used by wildlife managers and researchers to gain inference into a population of a species of interest. To gain these insights, micro-satellites have been the primary method, however, there currently is a shift from micro-satellites to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). With the DNA requirements being different, an investigation into which samples can provide...
Viral outbreak dynamics and evolution in wildlife at the interface with humans Viral outbreak dynamics and evolution in wildlife at the interface with humans
In this study, we used a multi-faceted approach to understand patterns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and persistence in a wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. Serology data indicated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and persistence during the seven-month sampling period. Traditional disease modelling based on deer-to-deer...
Authors
Rachael Marie Giglio, Aaron Westmoreland, Mark Q. Wilber, Grete WIlson-Henjum, Aung Nyein Chan, Billy Gardner, Wantida Horpiencharoen, Roderick B. Gagne, Avery M. Corondi, Alec Baker, Matthew A. Combs, Jefferey Chandler, Kezia R. Manlove, Kim M. Pepin, W. David Walter
Model‐based decomposition of spatially varying temporal shifts in seasonal streamflow across north temperate US rivers. Model‐based decomposition of spatially varying temporal shifts in seasonal streamflow across north temperate US rivers.
Anthropogenically forced climate shifts disrupt the seasonal behavior of climatic and hydrologic processes. The seasonality of streamflow has significant implications for the ecology of riverine ecosystems and for meeting societal demands for water resources. We develop a hierarchical Bayesian model of daily streamflow to quantify how the shape of annual hydrographs are changing and to...
Authors
Kevin M. Collins, Erin M. Schliep, Tyler Wagner, Christopher K. Wikle
Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web
Invasive species are drivers of ecological change with the potential to reshape the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The invasive flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is an opportunistic predator that has established a rapidly growing population in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, USA, since they were first detected in 2002. Although the predatory...
Authors
Olivia C. Hodgson, Sydney Stark, Megan K. Schall, Geoffrey D. Smith, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner
Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers
Fish diseases in freshwater ecosystems pose significant ecological and socioeconomic challenges, yet monitoring them in wild populations is complex due to interactions between pathogens, hosts, and environmental conditions. We examine the prevalence and watershed-scale landscape drivers of external deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in 57 riverine fish...
Authors
Sara E. Breitmeyer, Paul McLaughlin, Vicki S. Blazer, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly Smalling, Timothy A. Wertz, Tyler Wagner
Expanding national-scale wildlife disease surveillance systems with research networks Expanding national-scale wildlife disease surveillance systems with research networks
Efficient learning about disease dynamics in free-ranging wildlife systems can benefit from active surveillance that is standardized across different ecological contexts. For example, active surveillance that targets specific individuals and populations with standardized sampling across ecological contexts (landscape-scale targeted surveillance) is important for developing a mechanistic
Authors
Kim M. Pepin, Matthew A. Combs, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, M.E. Craft, Paul C. Cross, M.A. Diuk-Wasser, R.B. Gagne, Travis Gallo, Tyler Garwood, J.D. Heale, J. Hewitt, J. Hoy-Petersen, Jennifer L. Malmberg, Jennifer M. Mullinax, L. Plimpton, Lauren Smith, M.C. VanAcker, J.C. Chandler, W. David Walter, Grete WIlson-Henjum, George Wittemyer, Kezia R. Manlove
Workflow and analysis for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and dragonfly larvae in United States protected areas Workflow and analysis for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and dragonfly larvae in United States protected areas
This code release provides the workflow and analysis code for a study that addresses the prevalence of PFAS on Federally protected lands in water and dragonfly larvae. This study quantifies the prevalence of PFAS in protected areas across the US, identifies ecologically relevant PFAS mixtures, and assesses the potential drivers of PFAS concentration in an effort to better understand...
Workflow to predict geochemical distributions of soil Workflow to predict geochemical distributions of soil
Mapping soil geochemistry across large spatial extents is essential for understanding mineral distributions and their environmental implications. However, rasters of soil geochemical distributions for the United States are limited. We present a Bayesian modeling framework for generating predictive geochemical distribution maps using integrated nested Laplace approximation in R (R-INLA).
Agent-based modeling of chronic wasting disease transmission among white-tailed deer and potential management responses Agent-based modeling of chronic wasting disease transmission among white-tailed deer and potential management responses
We provide the following R Markdown and NetLogo files corresponding to our application of agent-based models to assess management responses to chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania, USA.
Accounting for Variable Detection Functions in Temporal Abundance Modeling via Transfer Learning Workflow/Analysis Accounting for Variable Detection Functions in Temporal Abundance Modeling via Transfer Learning Workflow/Analysis
This code release provides the workflow and analysis for our propose approach to (i) learn the effect of environmental covariates on detection probabilities from CR data and (ii) transfer these detection functions to CPUE models for improved inference.
The Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, est. 1938, is a partnership among the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania State University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute.
Media
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Pennsylvania Unit's research emphasis is on integrating ecology and management of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, evaluating the effects of human activities on wildlife, fish, and their habitats, and providing guidelines for restoring and maintaining important terrestrial and aquatic communities.
Predictive layers of trace elements in soil in the conterminous United States Predictive layers of trace elements in soil in the conterminous United States
This dataset provides posterior mean predicted rasters of the distribution of trace elements important to vertebrate health (cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc) in the soil across the conterminous United States. Rasters were generated using a Bayesian modeling framework implemented in R with the R-INLA framework (Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation) and the...
Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey Observations Wild Turkey Summer Sighting Survey Observations
R code to analyze these data to estimate proportion of hens with poults and poults per brood, and estimate temporal trends in proportion of hens with poults is available at https://doi.org/10.5066/P14VYTVN. The state wildlife agencies in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia collected observations of wild turkeys during June-August, 2000-2023...
Data describing a predatory fish invasion on a riverine food web Data describing a predatory fish invasion on a riverine food web
Catfishes are opportunistic feeders that are among the world's worst invasive species. Flathead catfish *Pylodictus olivaris* -- a large predatory catfish -- were first detected in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, USA in 2002. Since then, they established a viable and rapidly growing population that is expanding its range throughout the river system. Although the predatory effects of...
Data for Distance sampling accounting for density gradient and animal distribution Data for Distance sampling accounting for density gradient and animal distribution
There are 9 datasets. one distance sampling dataset, 4 resource selection datasets, and 4 outputs from bootstrapped resource selection models the use the estimated correction factor. The 4 resource selection datasets have data that can be used in a binomial generalized linear mixed effect model to create the correction factor. The distance sampling data set is used to estimate density...
White-tailed deer from culling efforts in Minnesota White-tailed deer from culling efforts in Minnesota
Dataset containing information for white-tailed deer samples from Minnesota. Samples were genotyped for 11 microsatellites markers and sequenced for a fragment of approx. 546 bp belonging to the mitochondrial control region. Marker OvirQ should not be used as it presents alleles inconsistent with reported pattern, with some alleles separated by only 1 base pair and inconsistent between...
Microsatellite genotypes and metadata for white-tailed deer samples from the Mid-Atlantic region of USA Microsatellite genotypes and metadata for white-tailed deer samples from the Mid-Atlantic region of USA
Dataset containing information for white-tailed deer samples from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and New York, genotyped for 11 microsatellites markers. Marker OvirQ should not be used as it presents alleles inconsistent with reported pattern, with some alleles separated by only 1 base pair and inconsistent between runs. Projected coordinates representing sampling location are in...
Input for Habitat Risk Software Input for Habitat Risk Software
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that was first detected in captive cervids in Colorado, United States (US) in 1967, but has since spread into free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations across the US and Canada. In some areas, the disease is considered endemic in wild deer populations, and governmental wildlife agencies...
Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
This data release presents calculated accumulated wastewater (ACCWW, as a percent of total streamflow) values for 43 National Hydrologic Dataset Version 2.1 (NHDPlus V2.1) stream segments coinciding with long-term smallmouth bass sampling locations (Table 1) in the Shenandoah River Watershed (encompassing parts of Virginia and West Virginia, USA). Values are calculated for quarter-year...
Evaluation of DNA yield from various sources for use in single nucleotide polymorphism panels Evaluation of DNA yield from various sources for use in single nucleotide polymorphism panels
Genetics studies are used by wildlife managers and researchers to gain inference into a population of a species of interest. To gain these insights, micro-satellites have been the primary method, however, there currently is a shift from micro-satellites to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). With the DNA requirements being different, an investigation into which samples can provide...
Viral outbreak dynamics and evolution in wildlife at the interface with humans Viral outbreak dynamics and evolution in wildlife at the interface with humans
In this study, we used a multi-faceted approach to understand patterns of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and persistence in a wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. Serology data indicated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and persistence during the seven-month sampling period. Traditional disease modelling based on deer-to-deer...
Authors
Rachael Marie Giglio, Aaron Westmoreland, Mark Q. Wilber, Grete WIlson-Henjum, Aung Nyein Chan, Billy Gardner, Wantida Horpiencharoen, Roderick B. Gagne, Avery M. Corondi, Alec Baker, Matthew A. Combs, Jefferey Chandler, Kezia R. Manlove, Kim M. Pepin, W. David Walter
Model‐based decomposition of spatially varying temporal shifts in seasonal streamflow across north temperate US rivers. Model‐based decomposition of spatially varying temporal shifts in seasonal streamflow across north temperate US rivers.
Anthropogenically forced climate shifts disrupt the seasonal behavior of climatic and hydrologic processes. The seasonality of streamflow has significant implications for the ecology of riverine ecosystems and for meeting societal demands for water resources. We develop a hierarchical Bayesian model of daily streamflow to quantify how the shape of annual hydrographs are changing and to...
Authors
Kevin M. Collins, Erin M. Schliep, Tyler Wagner, Christopher K. Wikle
Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web
Invasive species are drivers of ecological change with the potential to reshape the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The invasive flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is an opportunistic predator that has established a rapidly growing population in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, USA, since they were first detected in 2002. Although the predatory...
Authors
Olivia C. Hodgson, Sydney Stark, Megan K. Schall, Geoffrey D. Smith, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner
Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers
Fish diseases in freshwater ecosystems pose significant ecological and socioeconomic challenges, yet monitoring them in wild populations is complex due to interactions between pathogens, hosts, and environmental conditions. We examine the prevalence and watershed-scale landscape drivers of external deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in 57 riverine fish...
Authors
Sara E. Breitmeyer, Paul McLaughlin, Vicki S. Blazer, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly Smalling, Timothy A. Wertz, Tyler Wagner
Expanding national-scale wildlife disease surveillance systems with research networks Expanding national-scale wildlife disease surveillance systems with research networks
Efficient learning about disease dynamics in free-ranging wildlife systems can benefit from active surveillance that is standardized across different ecological contexts. For example, active surveillance that targets specific individuals and populations with standardized sampling across ecological contexts (landscape-scale targeted surveillance) is important for developing a mechanistic
Authors
Kim M. Pepin, Matthew A. Combs, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, M.E. Craft, Paul C. Cross, M.A. Diuk-Wasser, R.B. Gagne, Travis Gallo, Tyler Garwood, J.D. Heale, J. Hewitt, J. Hoy-Petersen, Jennifer L. Malmberg, Jennifer M. Mullinax, L. Plimpton, Lauren Smith, M.C. VanAcker, J.C. Chandler, W. David Walter, Grete WIlson-Henjum, George Wittemyer, Kezia R. Manlove
Workflow and analysis for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and dragonfly larvae in United States protected areas Workflow and analysis for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and dragonfly larvae in United States protected areas
This code release provides the workflow and analysis code for a study that addresses the prevalence of PFAS on Federally protected lands in water and dragonfly larvae. This study quantifies the prevalence of PFAS in protected areas across the US, identifies ecologically relevant PFAS mixtures, and assesses the potential drivers of PFAS concentration in an effort to better understand...
Workflow to predict geochemical distributions of soil Workflow to predict geochemical distributions of soil
Mapping soil geochemistry across large spatial extents is essential for understanding mineral distributions and their environmental implications. However, rasters of soil geochemical distributions for the United States are limited. We present a Bayesian modeling framework for generating predictive geochemical distribution maps using integrated nested Laplace approximation in R (R-INLA).
Agent-based modeling of chronic wasting disease transmission among white-tailed deer and potential management responses Agent-based modeling of chronic wasting disease transmission among white-tailed deer and potential management responses
We provide the following R Markdown and NetLogo files corresponding to our application of agent-based models to assess management responses to chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania, USA.
Accounting for Variable Detection Functions in Temporal Abundance Modeling via Transfer Learning Workflow/Analysis Accounting for Variable Detection Functions in Temporal Abundance Modeling via Transfer Learning Workflow/Analysis
This code release provides the workflow and analysis for our propose approach to (i) learn the effect of environmental covariates on detection probabilities from CR data and (ii) transfer these detection functions to CPUE models for improved inference.